D’Angelo | 1974-2025

By David Jordan Jr

Michael Archer, known to the world as D’Angelo passed away yesterday after a battle with pancreatic cancer in New York City. Archer was 51 years old at the time of his death.

D’Angelo was a musician who transcended the music industry with his introduction in the 1990s with his soulful voice, crafty musicianship, songwriting ability, and unique capability to touch listeners with his one-of-a-kind type of soul, which continued until his death. A winner of four Grammy Awards, his artistry is forever cemented as an artist who created pure music, music from the soul. D’Angelo’s introduction to the world of music happened in 1994 when the chart-topping song “U Will Know” was released on the soundtrack to the film “Jason’s Lyric.” Written by D’Angelo, the song would feature an all star cast of award winning singers ( Tevin Campbell, El DeBarge, Gerald Levert, Tony Toni Toné, Boyz II Men, Al B. Sure!, Lenny Kravitz, R. Kelly, Aaron Hall, Brian McKnight, Silk, Keith Sweat, Stokley, H-Town, Christopher Williams, Portrait, Damion Hall, Lil’ Joe, Intro, DRS, After 7, Usher, Sovory, Lil’ Joe, ) and would chart as high as #5 on the Billboard music charts.

1995 would see the release of his debut album titled “Brown Sugar” with the lead single being of the same title. The album took listeners on a journey of soul, as each song personified the essence of true R&B and soul, while also capturing the purity of love, life and artistry. D’Angelo’s remake of Smokey Robinson’s 1979 song “Cruisin” gave listeners a slight glimpse into the unique ability he had to not only remake a classic song but also put his unique twist of artistry into the song, making it his own. His love of soul music and the legends of Motown led to the development of the Soulquarians, initially created with himself, drummer Questlove, and the legendary producer J. Dilla. The Soulquarians became a collective of Black musicians from R&B, Soul and Hip-Hop that would make timeless music together that would not only elevate the collective, but also each of the artists/groups individually.

Common, Mos Def, The Roots, Erykah Badu, and Bilal were some of the musicians who would all collaborate and work together on each other’s albums from 1999 to 2004. The music created defined a time period of artistry expansion with various sounds and concepts. The peak release of that time frame would come from D’Angelo with the release of his 2000 album titled “Voodoo.” The Voodoo album was a totality of funk, soul, R&B, and blues and would bring D’Angelo a Grammy Award at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards.

The world would have to wait fourteen years before another release, and in 2014, D’Angelo released his album titled “Black Messiah,” with The Vanguard. D’Angelo would again wow audiences with his captivating performances not only as a singer but with his mastery behind the piano in a series of tour dates prior to the release of the album, creating a global thirst for his next release. Post-release, D’Angelo would embark upon a world tour, “The Second Coming Tour” with performances in North America, Europe, and Japan. D’Angelo would also have a memorable performance of “Really Love” and “The Charade on the long-running show Saturday Night Live (SNL) on January 31, 2015.

The Black Messiah album would win two Grammy Awards at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album, while “Really Love” would win Best R&B Song. The years following the Black Messiah release would see D’Angelo lend his artistry to video game and music soundtracks, perform at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City in 2021, and have a memorable Verzuz performance in New York City in 2021 as well. Prior to his death, he and Raphael Saadiq were working on a new album, which to date has no intended release date.

There are many in the world who will label D’Angelo as a “Neo-Soul” artist, and that label is not accurate, and it minimizes D’Angelo as a musician. Michael Archer was a musician who could write, produce, sing, play instruments, and create concepts that are undefinable. His three individual albums “Brown Sugar,” “Voodoo,” and “The Black Messiah (with The Vanguard)” have a unique sound and vibe that is timeless to any listener. For listeners that were alive during the initial releases of each of those three albums, those albums represent a specific time period in life that allows for nostalgia, hope, and clarity. For listeners that were not around during the initial release of those three albums, each album allows them to go on a journey and learn about the artist and see his unique musicianship in different capacities while being able to appreciate each album in its entirety. The world was truly blessed to have an artist such a D’Angelo to leave pure, timeless music that will continued to be played throughout the existence of time.

D’Angelo, was survived by his two sons and one daughter.